Cotton Candy Pink
by Tabris Macbeth
Summary: A series of fluffy RavenJinx short stories. Yes, will be updated eventually.
1. Candy

Cotton Candy Pink

by Tabris Macbeth

rated PG

disclaimer: He's a wild flippin' fact: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

Candy

You could tell just by looking at her that Raven is dark and bitter. She was dark because she was bitter, and bitter because she was dark. She didn't know which came first, not that she devoted much time to caring. For the moment, though, she was content. She was at her favorite table in her favorite cafe, reading her favorite book in the gloomy, just-barely-adequate-for-reading lighting, her favorite bookmark dangling inbetween her fingers. For some odd reason, her bookmark didn't blend in with the rest of her dark style. It was pink.

For those cared, it wasn't just any shade of pink. This silk bookmark, with a beautiful rose lovingly embroidered on it, was cotton candy pink. It was just plain old pink to Raven, but the words "cotton candy pink" popped into her head whenever she looked at it. She looked at it quite a bit.

Pink? Pink, for crying out loud! And such a sugary shade of pink, at that! What had possessed Raven to buy the thing? Starfire was more suited for these brighter, warmer colors. She thought giving it to her and getting one with something gaudy like skulls and crossbones just to re-affirm her dark, bitter demeanor.

Good lord, it looked sugary. She was half convinced it would taste sweet it she licked it. Why did she get it? She was sticking out like a sore thumb here. Thankfully, everyone was minding their own business, but it didn't give her an answer. She liked things bitter, just like the tea she was sipping, and just like the life she lead. Dark and bitter.

A little sweetness now and then wasn't that bad, though, was it? Fond flashes of pink came to mind. Pink eyes, pink hair...

Jinx? Why did Jinx come to mind? She did have that "cotton candy pink" shade of hair and eyes, but...her eyes weren't so much cotton candy as they were freshly licked lollipops. They were a pretty, shiny kind of pink. Her hair, though, definitely cotton candy. She had no idea how Jinx kept in in those horns, but it looked soft. It probably smelled sweet, as well. Maybe like strawberries.

And just where had that come from? Strawberries? Strawberries! Forget the odd train of thought she was on before. How, exactly, did strawberries come to mind?

No, nevermind that. Nevermind the hair sniffing. Something came first. It was pink or Jinx. Either Jinx came to mind because she secretly liked the color pink- namely this sugary sweet shade her bookmark was- or...wait. That wasn't possible. Like her? She was an enemy! You don't like your enemies! If you like an enemy, then that person isn't really an enemy anymore.

What was there to hate about Jinx? "Hate" was an awfully strong word. She didn't want to hate Jinx. She a pretty, graceful young lady, and it just didn't seem right to-

Raven put the brakes on right there. She had just called one of her sworn enemies "pretty" and "graceful". If anything wasn't right, it was that. She was good, Jinx was bad. Simple as that, more or less.

More or less? How was there room for doubt? Well, if there was room in her stomach for those butterflies that had appeared when she had started thinking about this nonsense, there was room for doubt.

"I've been stuck on the same paragraph for a while now." Raven realized.

This was her time. When she was meditating, looking deep into herself, she could try and make sense of this. For now, though, this was her time. She should just take in the bitter taste of her tea and sink into her dark surroundings.

That wasn't what she wanted, though. She wanted something sweet, for a change. Eye candy, preferably. And she saw it, sitting just a couple tables away.

"Jinx! What is she doing here! Did she follow me!"

Seeing as how she was glumly nursing a cup of some fancy coffee- one of those with foam and a hard-to-pronounce name- all signs seemed to point to "no".

"Poor thing. She looks pretty sad about something."

It hurt looking at her. Why was that? She did look sad, but so what of it? It should be good, right? She was a villainess, a bad guy. She deserved to suffer, didn't she? Well, maybe not. Not too much. Punishment was one thing, but she looked like she was on the verge of crying.

She did, anyway. When she took notice of Raven, a big smile crossed her lips and she waved as if she spotted a good childhood friend. Raven, of course, just stared at her.

Jinx waved her over, inviting her to her table. As far as Raven was aware, enemies weren't supposed to do this sort of thing. When she looked back to her book, she heard footsteps approaching her, the quiet atmosphere only amplifying each step.

"No!" she thought, "Please don't let it be her! Please let her just pass by me and-"

She had no such luck. She heard the other chair at her table screech as it was dragged along the floor.

"Hey, Ravy."

Ever so quietly, ever so subtly, she looked up from her book.

"Do not call me that." she said in her usual icy cool tone.

"Why?" said Jinx, whose grin only grew at Raven's unseen annoyance, "Sounds cute."

"Exactly. And why, exactly, are you talking to me?"

"Just because."

Raven raised an eyebrow, hoping she would clarify.

"I'm off duty." Jinx shrugged, "Relax."

Off duty? Minions of evil couldn't just take a break! Somewhere in the cosmos, Raven was sure there was a book of unwritten, unspoken rules that governed the battles between good and evil, and in it it said no one on either side could just stop because they thought it was a nine-to-five job.

"Don't give me that look!" she pouted, "Why can't I have some me time once in a while? Furthering the causes of mayhem and destruction is hard work!"

Her pout was quick to rise into yet another grin.

"C'mon, smiley. Lighten up. Have you forgotten I'm just a merc? So long as the world doesn't turn to money, I ain't taking it over!"

"You're a criminal." Raven plainly stated.

"Oh, big flippin' deal! So I have a few character flaws! If it wasn't for people like me, you'd be out of the job, you know that? What would you do without us greedy good-for-nothings? You'd probably just sit around, bored out of your mind, complaining about never having anyone to throw in jail. So then you start getting on peoples' cases for minor stuff- like littering and jay walking- just to keep from being bored. And when people start respecting each and every little law, you'll just loose it and start breaking the law just so you can stop yourself!"

Well, Raven had found the reason why Jinx was ignoring the rules of enemy relationships: She was certified, grade A loonie.

"Come on!" she moaned, "I was kidding! Crack a smile! A teensy, weensy little smile!"

A few seconds later, when it was apparent that wasn't going to happen, Jinx tilted her head down, trying to look up Raven's hood.

"Hey. I've never seen your face. Not even good lighting can I see you face under that thing. You oughtta cut that hood off. Maybe dye your cloak dark purple-ish, to match your hair. That would look nice."

With a sigh and more than a little reluctance, Raven lowered her hood.

"Oh yeah. You gotta cut the hood off."

"Why is that?"

"You're pretty."

Raven choked on that bit of information. She wanted to pull her hood back up, trying to gain a little distance from the girl sitting barely a foot away, but she knew she would only be handing Jinx a small victory if she admitted she was...a little flattered.

"What's which that gem on your forehead?"

Oh boy. An old conversation with Beast Boy concerning the jewel on her Ajna Chakra came to mind. She tried to explain chakras to him, but it when over his head pretty quickly. It was pretty amusing when he tried to pronounce "Svadisthana", though.

"Can I touch it?"

"No."

"Poke it?"

"No."

"Rub it for good luck?"

"No."

"You know what that gem reminds me of? Oh, lemme guess! 'No', right? I bet you were gonna say 'no'."

"No."

Hold up a minute. Had she just crack a joke? Inadvertently, perhaps, but she did.

"Well, whadaya know! It's like we're twins! So, anyway, that gem reminds me of those wishing trolls. Remember those ugly little naked guys with the wishing stones in the belly buttons and really funky hair?"

"Like yours?"

And again. Again! She had exercised her dry wit again. Why was she slipping all of a sudden?

"Hey! My hair's not funky! It's...conventional challenged, that's all. Can I rub your head-gem for good luck now?"

"Why would I have changed my answer?"

"Because it might grant wishes."

She didn't realize it before, but Jinx was a silly girl. Come to think of it, why didn't she realize earlier? She was always dancing and prancing around when she fought, like some demented, hex slinging ballerina.

"You're weird."

"No, I'm Jinx."

When she saw that small smirk form, Jinx leap up and laughed the laugh of winners.

"HA! Got ya to smile! I won that rub now!"

Raven mumbled "get it over with" under her breath and Jinx rubbed vigorously.

"How does that thing stay on?" she said, picking at the gemstone a little.

"How does your hair stay like that?"

Without a word, Jinx sat back down and behaved herself.

"So, what did you wish for?"

"Nah, ah, ah!" Jinx said, shaking a finger at Raven, "You can't tell what your wish is or it won't come true."

Before Raven could finish saying "whatever", Jinx continued, despite what she had just said about wishes.

"Wanna know? Okay, but you have to keep it a secret."

Raven put her book down as Jinx leaned in. She evidently wasn't going to get to the next page today.

"I wished for love."

She knew Jinx would be two for two now, but she couldn't contain the small giggle that escaped her lips. Instead of gloating over her victory, though, Jinx gave her a swift kick in the shin.

"I'm serious." she said, leaning back and crossing her arms in an angry manner.

"I'm sorry, but it's..."

Cute? She was about to say cute. She needed to say something before Jinx got suspicious.

"Amusing."

"Well, I'm glad I can be of service." Jinx pouted. Or fake pouted. It was hard to tell with her.

"You ever scare anyone off, Ravy? This might come as a mind blowing surprise, but being a bad guy kinda scares people. Like this one time, I was in line to get a ticket for this concert, and someone noticed me. Much to my surprise, he didn't want an autograph! He screamed, then more people screamed, and before I knew it, the concert was cancelled. Twenty minutes of standing in line gone to waste in about three minutes of screaming and panic."

"At least you get something close to respect. I saved this city time and time again, but whenever I walk down the street, there's always someone yelling 'Goth chick', among other things."

For the first time since she sat down at her table, Jinx seemed somber. That silly, playful grin had dropped of her face completely. That made Raven sad, for some reason.

"Jinx...why are you talking to me?"

Jinx shrugged.

"I might be a bad, nasty criminal...but I guess I kinda like you."

Raven muttered something.

"I heard that!" Jinx exclaimed, jumping up and putting that silly smile back on, "You don't think I'm that bad!"

"Whatever." said Raven with a bit of a smirk.

As Jinx went on about just about anything that came to mind, Raven found that answer she was looking for earlier in those shiny pink lollipops that girl called eyes.

"Do you like me, Ravy?"

"No.", Raven smiled, giving Jinx another point on her imaginary scoreboard.

Raven may have been dark and bitter, but she still liked sweet things. Things that came in that silly, sugary shade of cotton candy pink.

* * *

author's notes: Y'know...I'm convinced I can build a story off anything. This one was sparked by Saint Raven's C2 group. No story above a "T" can be put in a C2 group, and she was kind enough to put in a story of mine that had little to do with the theme of her C2, so I made this Raven/Jinx story just for her. Yeah, I'm a sweetheart, aren't I? Hey, just so all you ladies know, I am single...so very single...

Well, as you might have read on my profile, I'm probably never writing a one shot again. At first, I did it because I have a humongous soft spot for my fans, but now that I think about it...I can crank out way more Raven/Jinx ficlettes than I though I could. Already got two more in mind! Holy crap, I am on _fire_, here!

Here's the deal: This is a full fledged series now, each chapter a stand alone story. Since I'm new at that sort of thing (usual I write "chapter xx" for each chapter), titles will be at the top, underlined unless I can think of something better looking. Keep an eye out for more CCP stories coming soon!


	2. The Right Thing

The Right Thing

Raven stared at her with nothing but contempt and malice in her gaze.

"What?"

Because of Jinx, because the Hivelings had decided to the subway system for quick maneuvering around the city to evade capture- but mostly because of Jinx, who had brought down the ceiling and floor around them, burying them both in a tunnel that had long since gone into disuse- Raven was trapped in a deep, dark place that wasn't in her mind.

"Just say it. Say this is all my fault."

It was, obviously, but Raven wasn't in much of a talking mood.

"Say it!" Jinx pleaded, "Say anything! _Anything! _"

No, she wasn't about to do that. Oh, she had a few choice words to say, but she knew better than to waste oxygen on petty finger pointing.

"You're alive, aren't you?"

Just as she went over to inspect the condition of her opponent, Jinx let out a sharp gasp.

"You alright?"

"Now you say something." Jinx said with a quivering voice, "It's nothing."

"Doesn't sound like 'nothing'."

Raven made her way over to her, groping her way through the rubble and darkness.

"Where does it hurt?"

It was hard to see, but she was sure Jinx turned her head away.

"If you don't want help..." Raven started as she backed away.

She suddenly saw two pink orbs piercing through the shadows.

"You're lucky I need to talk."

"Needs are only exaggerated-"

She narrowed dodged Jinx's boot as she kicked it off.

"Ankle." she said, practically sticking her foot in Raven's face.

"Don't be so careless. You'll bring the rest of the tunnel down on us."

A soft glow emanated from Raven's hand, and the sharp pain that had been shooting up Jinx's leg faded away.

"Pretty light." she said, "Didn't know you could- OW!"

"Still hurt?"

"Stupid pointy rocks!" Jinx said, hopping on one foot now, "Where's my other boot?"

Raven sighed. She was the one who kicked it off, so she should be left to look for it herself. Still, a moment later, Jinx found her missing footwear in her hands.

"Well, look at you!" she said, "I do believe you're helping one of the proverbial bad guys!"

"Proverbial?"

"Yup. Book learnin' helped me learn big, fancy words like that."

Raven gave a light giggle. Only a few minutes and she seemed to be starting to crack.

"Alright," she said, "How are you a 'proverbial' bad guy?"

"I'm just doing what no one else did and looking out for me. How am I a bad guy?"

"Examples from today alone? Bank robbery, jewelry robbery..."

"Boo frickin' hoo! So the wealthy are made a little less wealthy. They'll live."

"It doesn't mean it's not robbery."

"I don't know where you get money, sister, but I don't really have a lot of job opportunities open to me. If you want something in this world, you need to take it."

Silence settled back in the dust filled air.

"I don't get it."

For a few seconds, at least.

"What?" said Raven.

"Why do you do it? The whole superhero thing?"

"There are a lot of innocent people who need protection."

She wanted to add "from people like you", but for some reason, she felt the urge to hold her tongue.

"And where are they? Most of the people I've met are total jerks. Why should I care about them?"

She had an answer, but she knew it wouldn't satisfy Jinx.

"Am I really that bad, Raven? I'm just doing what it takes to survive. You might not notice, up in that big, letter-shaped tower of yours, but the world's not a nice place."

It was just an excuse. Raven knew it, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Maybe it was because she was right. It was easy for her to judge. Circumstance had been relatively kind to her. Maybe not to Jinx, though.

"I know."

It came so softly, Raven wondered if she heard. Well, it was probably better if that didn't happen. She shouldn't get attached to her.

"Then why do you do it?"

"I know people can be cruel, but I refuse to let their cruelty lessen my soul."

The silence returned. The only proof that Jinx was still there with her were those pink eyes of hers, a bit more glistening than they were before.

"How'd you get started?" she finally spoke up.

"It just happened."

"C'mon! No cool origin story?"

"None."

"Yeah, me neither. For a good portion of my life, I thought I was cursed. All sorts of bad stuff happened around me, and...people would eventually connect the dots, figure that all these accidents happened when I was around, and they're run me out of town like I was Frankenstein."

"Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster."

Raven felt a vague sense of...was kinship the right word? No, perhaps not, but it did bring up some old feelings she would have rather kept buried. Feelings like pain.

"We shouldn't talk so much." she said, "We'll use up air quicker."

"I need to talk." said Jinx, "I _really_ need to talk. I...I get really chatty when I...get scared..."

"Fine." Raven said after a few moments, "I suppose the quicker we use up out oxygen, the sooner I don't have to listen to you."

Given the dark environment, Raven had no way of seeing the incoming boot.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"That was a mean thing to say. You're supposed to not let cruelty lessen your soul, remember?"

Raven blindly hurled Jinx's boot right back at her.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be? A boot war?"

Jinx kicked her legs up, flinging her boots off and not even coming close to hitting Raven.

"C'mon! Gimme your best shot!"

"I'm not throwing my boots at you."

"What about my boots?"

"No."

Before guilt could settle into Raven's mind, Jinx spoke up again.

"Wanna trade boots?"

Raven just looked at her.

"We can pretend to be each other. I've always wanted to do that. Have a friend I could trade clothes with and pretend to be them."

"And I thought I had issues." mumbled Raven.

"You never wanted to do something like that? Just pretend to be someone else?"

"Well...I wouldn't mind being someone who's not trapped in a subway tunnel, right about now."

Jinx's giggled, her laughter echoing about their section of tunnel.

"Jinx...if you could be someone else, who would you be?"

"That's easy. Starfire."

"Starfire?"

"Yeah. I'd love to have the power to fly. Besides, I like her personality. _She'd_ have a boot war with me. Then again..."

"Then again?"

"I think cloaks are cool. Ever, like, swish your cloak as you leave a room? Like Dracula or something?"

Raven shook her head, laughter unwittingly escaping her smiling lips.

"No. I don't like vampires."

"Do they scare you?" Jinx said with a huge grin.

"No, it's all that sexual nonsense society's tacked on to them. The original vampire legends were not romantic in the least bit."

"_That's_ why? Historical inaccuracy? Lame!"

Raven's response to that was a boot to Jinx's stomach.

"OW! No fair! You caught me off guard!"

"All's fair in love and war, and you did say this was a boot _war_, didn't you?"

As Raven prepared her second shot, she noticed Jinx was a little too quiet.

"Raven...just in case we don't make it out of this..."

A low rumble came from the ceiling.

"Raven!" she screamed as she embraced her fellow captive, "I..."

A light entered the newly formed hole.

"They're down here!"

Cyborg had come to their rescue.

"What were you saying?" asked Raven.

"I...just realized something. Can't you teleport? You could have got out and left me here. Why'd you stay?"

With the smallest hint of a smile, she told her.

"It was the right thing to do."

* * *

author's notes: About...say, a day or so after reading that last batch of reviews (many thanks, by the way), I wrote up this baby. A bit on the small side, but I wanted to avoid re-writing _Candy_ and putting it in a different scenario. Still, I wanted to capture the same...feel, I guess. So, I'm was trying not to rip myself off while I tried to rip myself off. Huh. Well, hopefully, the next story (_Pen Pals_) will have a bit more substance in it. And for you Jinx fans, I'm _really_ going to try to delve into her personality in that one. 


	3. Pen Pals

Pen Pals

Dear J,

I'm new to this sort of thing. Quite honestly, I'm still a little skeptical, as well. It's not every day I get fanmail, much less anyone that wants to be a pen pal. I don't open up to people very easily, so please forgive the lack of substance and length in this letter.

sincerely,

Raven

Dear Raven,

I didn't think you'd write back! I can't believe I'm talking to a celebrity! It's okay if you're quiet, because I can talk for the both of us. Well, write, anyway. Everyone at my school says I talk too much. Maybe they just don't listen enough. Maybe that's why I did this. Some sort of yin-yang sort of thing. I talk too much, so I need someone who talks too little. Or maybe it's just because you look cool. I have a thing for those mysterious types. What sort of past lurks underneath that cool surface? What goes on inside their minds? What dark secrets do they hold close to their hearts?

Maybe you figured it out now, but I'm curious. When I was little, I would slink around town, spying on random people, like I was going to stumble across a worldwide conspiracy or something. I still do that, come to think of it. I'm not a peeper, but I do just wander around, still hoping to stumble across something. What, I don't know, but I know I'd be satisfied.

Mind if I ask a few, harmless little questions? Like, say...oh, I don't know, how old are you? Just turned sweet sixteen a few days ago, if your wondering.

ta,

J

Dear J,

Be careful in your voyeuristic exploits. You know what they say about curiosity, right?

Congratulations on your birthday. I hope you had a fun party. I suppose there's no harm in say this, so I'll tell you I'm seventeen. I don't look it, do I? I don't feel it, either. Oddly enough, I feel a lot older. I sometimes wonder what the next year will be like, and how much I will have grown. It's a strange feeling, looking into the future, like that. We tend to think we know so much now, but one year later, we look back and realize how wrong we were. Funny how even then, we still think the same way.

If you don't mind me asking, what does "ta" mean? I've tried looking it up in every encyclopedia I could find.

sincerely,

Raven

Dear Raven,

Either this school is failing me or I'm failing it. Probably the second. Had to look up "voyeuristic". It sure made from one heck of an awkward conversation with my roommates (both male). I know curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was satisfaction that brought her back. I forget where I heard that.

"Ta" is short for "ta ta". It's an old habit from the days of my youth, when I romped around the house in clothes that were several sizes too big, pretending I was all fancy and French, saying "ta, darlings" to my stuffed animals. It's weird, looking back. I was totally oblivious to my future back then. Now's no different, I guess. There's only the present, the here and now. There's a whole lot of things that could happen, so I tend to just do what I want and hold on for dear life. In the end, isn't that what everyone's doing? Just hanging on as long and hard as they can? Playing things safe doesn't get you anywhere, so you might as well take every chance you can and hope for the best.

Thanks for the congrats, but my birthday wasn't anything memorable. It was just another day, as far as everyone else was concerned. I live at the academy I attend, so it's not like I can go home and get a big surprise party, but my birthday passed by without any notice. Not even a card or a lousy "Happy Birthday, J!" out of anyone. And it's not as if no one knew. I dropped subtle hints for a whole week, and I have a pretty loose definition of "subtle". I had to settle for a cookie out of the vending machine with a scented candle on top. How pitiful is that?

Raven, do you ever get scared your work will take over your life? Half the reason my birthday sucked is because we had a test the same day, so everyone was stressing over that. Everyone but me. Some of my classmates take things way too seriously. They're always holed up in there dorms, working away like beavers on pixie sticks. What's all that work for? Yeah, I've heard that old story about the ant and the grasshopper, but how many lazy summer days did the ant miss out on? When the ant's buddies went on Spring Break, what did he miss out on? If you ask me, the grasshopper had the right idea. You should enjoy what time you have.

ta,

J

Dear J,

I'm reminded of a nightmare I sometimes have. I'm meditating, and I can feel myself sinking deeper and deeper into my own mind. When I open my eyes, I feel so at peace. I feel like I have complete control over my powers. When I come out of my room, I found that everyone was gone. I searched the Tower, the city, but there wasn't a sign of anyone.

Sorry. That's a bad way to start things off. I'm sorry to heard about your birthday. For what it's worth, I suddenly appreciate the party my friends threw for me a little more. We had a pinata that looked like Beast Boy. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when, after several missed swings, I telekinetically (not to mention slowly) pull off it's limbs, candy flowing from the holes like sugary blood. For some reason, Beast Boy had to go to the bathroom all of a sudden.

To answer your question...I suppose I sort of did, didn't I? By nature, I am an outsider out on the fringes, quietly observing from dark shadows. I sometimes regret, though, that I just stay there all the time. There are times I wish I could be more spontaneous, more outgoing, but it's not my nature. Then again, it's not of my nature to journey outside my dark little corner of the world and have a conversation with someone. Maybe I'm getting soft.

sincerely,

Raven

Dear Raven,

Don't think that you're getting soft. Think of it as growing as a person. I remember when I was little, I was so terribly shy. I've always been different, so my social life was pretty much in a coma. One day, I took a deep breath, got up on a table, and screamed "Free show!" as loud as I could while I lifted my little dress and presented my Rainbow Brite panties to the whole first grade. The teacher wasn't too wild about it, but I was never shy after that. Whenever those spontaneous urges hit, just show your undies to the closest person. Anything you do after that can't possibly be embarrassing.

Ugh. I envy you. You have a female teammate. Like I said before, my roommates are both male. Sometimes, I just need to do some female bonding, because there are just some things guys don't get. Like romance, for example. There are these two classmates at the academy that have been a real item for a while. This guy's been hanging out with this girl he likes, but he hasn't told her he likes her, but I think she knew that he liked her, but she didn't want him to know that she knew that...so, anyway, the guy somehow managed to get on the PA system and read her this poem he wrote. It wasn't very good and I'm pretty sure he got detention for that (the PA thing, not the poem), but it was really sweet. My roommates laughed at him. It was so heart felt and romantic, and they laughed at it! The poor guy opens himself up and gets laughed at for it. What a world.

Think about that makes my mood wander toward things romantic. Have you ever been in love before? Yeah, maybe I'm asking the wrong person, but have you? I have, but I've always had bad luck in things like this. They never want a girl like me. Everyone's always after those impossibly perfect, ultra popular cheerleader types with a full cup or two bra size on you. Just so you know, I'm secure with my body. I am a little skinny, and because of an incident I dare not speak of, I was called "Washboard" for a week, but I like me and my quirky uniqueness.

ta,

J

Dear J,

Um...no. No, I am not going to reveal my undergarments to anyone for any reason any time in the near future. Thanks for the advise. I think.

It's funny that you mention Starfire. As I write, she's pestering me to go to the mall with her. She's really wanted me to come get my hair styled with her. Personally, I think my hair looks just fine, but I guess it would make for a good enough excuse to break up the usual monotony. Life needs conflict, after all.

Ugh. Boys. Just yesterday, Starfire was watching this sad romantic movie, and Cyborg and Beast Boy were staring blankly at the screen, numbly waiting for the movie to end so they could get to their precious styled animated violence (because the real thing, which we encounter on almost a daily basis, isn't good enough, I guess). The mother of the main character tells her daughter that she is dying of illness, and Beast Boy giggled. I think, and hope, that it was unintentional, but then Cyborg snickered, and everything just snowballed into this mess of inappropriate laughter. It's almost enough to make you swear off all men, isn't it?

Believe it or not, I have been in love. It was only once, and it ended horribly, but I learned a lot from that experience. This should come as no surprise, but I sometimes wondered if I was capable of feeling love. For so long, I've tried to suppress my emotions. Even without superpowers, emotions always end up causing so much trouble. I'm not sure what to think about love now. It really hurt, but it was nice when while it lasted and, despite what I wanted to believe, I really don't want to be alone. I know I have my friends (both of the normal and pen varieties) but one in a great while, I still worry. I have to wonder if there's anyone out there I can bear my soul to.

love,

Raven

Dear Raven,

Want to hear a story? The other day, I was walking along, and all of a sudden, this little bird dive bombs towards the sidewalk. Everything was normal until BAM! The poor thing smacked right into the curb! I just stared at it for a few seconds, expecting it hop away, but it didn't. I don't know if birds can just die in mid air like that, so I took a closer look and it looked live enough. The park was nearby, so I picked it up and carried it to some bushes. The whole time, it just looked up at me with those big, birdie eyes. It didn't struggle, it didn't peck, and when I let it go, it just hopped off like nothing happened. It was really weird. This fragile, defenseless little thing was in my hands, and it seemed to trust me. I could have easily snapped it's neck (not that I wanted to), but I didn't. That never crossed my mind until I looked back on that. I had something so frail, so much weaker than me in my hands, and I helped it. I don't know what I'm trying to say here.

Oh man. You are so lucky you don't have to go to school. We had a pop quiz today, and I bombed. The teacher cussed me out, going on and on about how I wasn't living up to my potential and crap like that. Had to stay after class for a half hour, balancing books on my head. It wasn't hard, really, seeing as how I'm naturally gifted in dexterity and grace, but that was a whole half hour of my life! It could have been spent on something important and meaningful, like stretching out on the couch and staring at nothing, or jingling my vast collection of keychains. Oh, I never told you about my keychain collection, have I? I don't have any keys, but I like collecting weird, creepy keychains. I have this one you'd probably like. It's this raven perched on a skull with an open book in front of it, and "NEVERMORE" is written inside. I forget where I heard that word from, but I just had to get it the moment I saw it.

There's been something that keeps slipping my mind. What ever happened to that blonde girl? Terra, I think her name was? I haven't her in good while. I heard she helped Slade during his siege of the city, but that can't be true, right? She was one of the good guys.

love,

J

P.S.- Hey, you said it first, sister!

Dear J,

I did write "love", didn't I? Sorry. Starfire kept breaking my concentration. I'll keep signing that way, if you want. It is shorter than "sincerely", and my wrist isn't use to this much writing.

Well, where to begin? I'm never going with Starfire to get my hair done again. I had some girl straight out of hair styling school who didn't know what she was doing half the time and whined about how my hair was too short to do anything with the other half. I thought since I was there, I might as well make the most of it. I'm not one to do anything cosmetic, but I thought there was no harm in getting my hair dyed black. I thought that, but I was proved wrong. That stylist apparently grabbed the wrong bottle, and until this junk wears off, I'm a blonde.

About that keychain, "nevermore" is from "The Raven", by Edgar Allen Poe. I know exactly how this sounds, but I do like Poe, and yes, I am rather fond of "The Raven". It's the only poem I've heard of that's a psychological thriller.

I understand what you were trying to say with that story. As a super heroine, I've hand so many lives in my hands, to do with what I will. It scares me when I think about it. No one should have that kind of control. Just between you and me, though, I sometimes wish I could be like that little bird you saved. I know I can never put that must trust in anyone, but it's a nice thought.

While we're on the topic of trust, I'm glad you asked about Terra. This is something that's been building up in me for a long time. I can't talk to my teammates about this, especially not Beast Boy or Starfire. First, I'm afraid what you heard was true. Terra was, for a time, a double agent for Slade. She wasn't when we first met her, but when Robin figured out she could control her powers, she ran away. She had confided in Beast Boy about this, and she thought he told. Sometimes I lay awake at night, wondering what might have happened if we could have stopped her and got her to listen to reason. Anyway, she's gone now. In the end, she sacrificed herself to save the city. Looking back...well, I try not to do that too much. It hurt too much to look back on her. When she turned on us, I was filled with such hatred. I never bothered to think why she did it, what lead up to this. Terra's mistrust in us wasn't baseless. We all turned on her so easily, especially me. I refused to see how deeply she was hurt, or how easily I could have been in her position. We're very alike, her and I. We just put on different personae in front of the world. Looking back, I can't believe I missed such an obvious thing. I really miss her.

Well, that's a rather gloomy way to close, isn't it? Sad endings sometimes have to be written, I'm afraid.

love,

Raven

Dear Raven,

I'm so sorry to hear about Terra. It got me thinking about who else you've fought. Yeah, most of them are motivated by greed, but what about the ones that aren't? Money's nice to have, I'll admit that, but maybe there's one or two villains out there that aren't that bad. I mean, sure, they're not exactly morally upstanding citizens, but life doesn't always leave you with a lot of options. Everyone's always so quick to judge someone on looks, so that leaves you with even less options if you didn't pop out of a cookie cutter when you were born. Well, whatever.

Alright, on to better and blonder things! You're BLONDE now! I have got to see that! I can only imagine...

Things here have been slow. I hate slowness. It doesn't move fast enough for me. Times like this, my mind wanders to all sorts of stupid stuff. I really wanted something more to talk about, but all that pops up in my skull is this one thing that's just been hanging out there for so long, building up as I keep trying to keep it down. There's this thing I really want to tell you, but I know if I come out and say it, I won't hear from you anymore. It happened with another pen pal, one time. This thing just kept getting bigger and bigger, getting fat off all the stalling and silence. It came it in one big, long blurt one day and I never heard from that friend again. It hurt so much and I never want to feel like that again. Sure, I should just play it safe and bottle up that thing lounging around in the darkest corner of my mind, but if I really didn't want to tell you, I wouldn't have written all this. I know you'll hate me if I tell, but I can't just keep quiet. If I kept quiet, I wouldn't be me, now would I?

Well, okay. After staring at this letter for well over a half hour, I guess I'm not saying it just yet. You know I have something to say, so it's like I've already half told it. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to say it. Not just yet, anyway.

love,

J

Dear J,

I've thought a lot about what you said. What is, exactly, is this horrible, terrible secret that would make me hate you so? Either you think too little of me or yourself. Either way, you're wrong. I am a little cautious when I say this, but I think I'm growing attached to you, which is quite an accomplishment. I like talking to you, and it would be a shame if I didn't hear from you again.

love,

Raven

Raven,

I guess the first thing you noticed is that picture of me. Well, secret's out now, ain't it? Obviously, I've held a few facts back, but that doesn't mean I haven't been honest. It was edited honesty, but it was still honesty.

I told you that you would hate me, and this is only half of what I have to say. I feel like that little bird. My heart's in your hands, and you could so easily crush it. I don't why, but I guess I trust you. Logic is screaming at me at the top of its lungs that I shouldn't, that I should have never sent that first letter, but me and logic never were that tight. I trust you, but it still hurts. I don't know if I should blame myself, or my life, or destiny itself, but I know you hate me and I still trust you.

I'm a real talker. I talk and talk, but no one seems to listen. When they do listen, they don't seem to care. Sometimes I wonder if anyone would notice if I stopped talking and just up and disappeared on them. I don't want to disappear, though. I craved for people to know I exist, so that someone in the world feels something for me. You really made me feel special, Raven. It was like I had my own private audience, and all one of them gave me their full attention. I really liked that. I guess that audience has left, though, but I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated it while it lasted.

love,

Jinx

Jinx,

Here's that photo you asked for. Note the expression on my face, and know that all blondes do not have more fun. Also note the address on the back. I'm waiting there. I want to hear the other have of what you have to say in person.

love,

Raven

* * *

author's notes: Wanna know something funny? Anyone remember that episode _Nevermore_? Remember when Happy Raven said pink was her favorite color, then Beast Boy and Cyborg wind up in Raven's happy place, which was pink, more or less? Well, that said, the title (of this series) was totally a coincidence. Seriously, I did not think about that at all until recently. It's strange how fate always seems to these little jokes on me. Speaking of jokes, there's a couple of Easter eggs in the form of references to Wolfkcing's _Pitch and Pink_ hidden in here. Great story, by the way, and I can only hope I can match it.

Hey, wanna hear a story? I mean, other than the one...I just...so, that part about Jinx helping out that little bird? The very same thing happened to me, once. Lord only knows why that bird didn't struggle to get out of my ghoulish hands, but it didn't. That meant a lot to me, little birdie.

Okay, I know I have loads of other work to do, but I do have one more CCP idea to jot down. Raven and Jinx both go on a retreat and end up having to share a cabin together. It's like _The Odd Couple_, but set in the wilderness and with subtle lesbian undertones. I also just came up with an idea for a nice little story for Jinx (has she ever gotten her very own story, I wonder...). No, it's not a femslash, but it will be a nice little tale to tug at the heart strings. Unless I screw it up, of course.


	4. Storytime

Storytime

She looked over each and every last one of them. Any moment of weakness and the monsters could strike.

A sharply inhaled breath. A bead of sweat. One of them rose a hand, a finger pointing upwards.

And then, it struck.

"Your hair's pink!"

As if by some bizzare joke, Jinx had gotten away with community service this time around. She could do a week or so of cleaning a highway easy, but this? Reading to children at the library? What were they thinking?

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes at the boy who pointed out her hair color.

"I'm a natural pink."

"Are you a clown?"

Her fist trembled. They were just kids. She shouldn't unleash her accursed powers on small children. They didn't know better, right?

"Are you half cat?"

"Wha?"

"I have a cat. Her name's Boots."

"That's nice."

"Can you turn into a cat?"

"No."

"I was a cat for Halloween once."

"My momma says cats have germs, and they cough up hairballs, and they look at you with soulless eyes-"

"They do not!"

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh huh!"

"Uh huh! My momma says cat's don't have souls, and-"

Jinx cleared her throat as loud as she could.

"Okay, I'm Jinx, and I'll be your court appointed storyteller for the next few weeks."

"What's 'court appointed' mean?"

"I'm court appointed!"

"No, your not! And where's Grandma Betty? Grandma Betty's the one who always reads to us!"

Judging by the title of "Grandma", Jinx had an idea of what could have happened to the old storyteller. A rather dark, morbid idea that was rather inapproriate for young ears.

An idea that just might involve hungry cats that had gone a couple days without eating.

A wicked smile curled up Jinx's lips.

"She's dead." said a rather pale, fragile looking girl in the back, "Old people die."

Jinx's smile dropped. So much for her fun.

"Well, I dunno." she shrugged, "She could just be on vacation or...something."

"No, she's dead. I heard the librarians talking about it."

Uh oh. The floodgates were opening.

"No! No, don't cry! Grandma...Lady is fine! She's, uh...visiting Santa?"

As eyes watered and lips quivered, it seemed they weren't convinced.

"No, seriously! Her and Santa...are having a tea party. Yeah. And the Easter Bunny-"

"Her panties are pink!"

Unfortunately, it took a boy looking up Jinx's skirt to make them stop crying.

"Jinx likes pinks!" the little creep sung, "Jinx likes pi-"

"SHUT UP OR-"

Her guards- who had previously been browsing through the romance section- suddenly perked up.

"I-It's not nice to look up to look up girl's skirts. Now, today I'll be reading-"

"Is your vagina pink?"

A moment passed by in dead silence.

"Boys have penises and girls have vaginas."

"I have a vagina!"

"Me too!"

She quickly looked down at the cover of the book in her hands.

"The Ugly Duck-"

"My cat has a-"

"Do you kids wanna hear this story or not?!" she snapped, "Like I was saying, I'll be reading-"

"Are you a witch?"

Jinx groaned. It wasn't going to end, was it? She had been chosen for this paticular library, for this paticular group of children. This wasn't some strange quirk of fate that had worked in her favor. It was karma. Karma had given her a swift kick in the butt, knocked her down, and was now just starting to dig it's stilleto heels into her spine.

"My momma says you're a witch, and you worship the Devil, and you go into graveyards at night to carry out wicked Pagan rituals, and-"

"NO! No, I'm not a witch! No, I don't worship the Devil! And no, Paganism and Satanism aren't the same thing! Now- assuming no one interupts me again- I'll be reading 'The Ugly D-'"

"Aren't you a bad guy?"

Her temple throbbed. So help her, if they didn't shut up and let her get this over with...

"No. Can I start reading now?"

"But you aren't a good guy."

"For the love of...I don't _need_ to be one or the other."

"You look like a bad guy."

"Big deal! So does Raven! Quit being so judgemental, quit talking, and let me read this freakin' story, okay?!"

"My momma says Raven is a witch, and-"

"Worships the Devil." Jinx moaned, rolling her eyes, "And eats babies with chopsticks, and dances naked in the cemetaries during the harvest moon. Yeah. Kid, let me tell you-"

Right there, a couple shelves away, was the one responsible for this quagmire she found herself in.

"Hey, kids!" she perked up, pointing behind them, "It's Raven of the Teen Titans!"

Raven motioned for her to stop just before the children turned their attention to her.

"Wow! How cool is that, huh? Who here likes Raven?"

Only the pale girl in the back rose her hand.

"She's scary." one of the girls whispered to one of their little friends, "I heard she sleeps in a coffin."

"My dad says her mother did drugs when she was pregnant with her."

Jinx shot up from her stool.

"For crying out loud! She risks her life for this stupid city all the time! How can you say that garbage?!"

"My momma says your a criminal because you got molestered."

"The word's 'molested', kid, not- What?! Okay, new story, kids! Since none of you are interested in The Ugly Duckling- which, by the way, all of you could learn something from- Auntie Jinx's got her own story for ya! Don't like it, tough! Life's full of disappointments!"

"My momma says-"

"Shut it! Unless you're gonna wax philisophical about how our mortal existence can be compared to candy, just keep quiet!"

With a deep breath and a moment's peace, she noticed the kids were actually paying attention to her.

So...now what?

"Once upon a time...there was this girl...this girl who lived in a far away land."

"France?"

"No."

"Narnia?"

"No."

"Seattle?"

"No."

"India, perhaps?"

Raven had sat down with Jinx's audience, a knowing little smirk across her lips...

"Yes...India. She was the daughter of a sorceress, so she had magic powers. Y'know, like Harry Potter."

At the reference to the magical nerd, the children collectively cooed.

"Yeah." she giggled, "Just like Harry Potter. Except she was way cooler."

"What was her name?"

Ever so slightly, Raven's smirk grew.

"What?"

"She had a name, right?" asked Raven, "What was her name?"

"Uh...Jasmine? Yeah, Jasmine. Jasmine was better than Harry Potter in every conceivible way, but she looked different than everyone else, so everyone made fun of her. This made the little sorceress very sad, so her magical powers went all haywire...because that's just the way it works. Everyone blamed her for all the bad things that happened, and this hurt Jasmine even more. She ran away to a far off city, and swore that since no one was ever nice to her, she would never be nice to anyone ever again, and she would use her powers only for herself. She used her powers to rob banks and jewelry stores, and she got pretty rich. She was still lonely, though, because no one would be friends with a strange little girl like her. Especially now that she was a criminal. Everyone would think she was a bad person without taking a moment to get to know her, so Jasmine never felt bad about stealing from them. But then one day, she met a girl...a lot like her."

"What was her name?"

"Uh...R-Robin? No, not-"

"Robin?!" one girl squealed, "Is Jasmine Robin's girlfriend?!"

"No, I said s-"

"Nuh uh! Starfire's his girlfriend!"

"Kids, _she_ was a-"

"BB and Wae fo' evva!"

"What?! You gotta be-"

"My momma says Beast Boy and Starfire-"

"Rachel?"

The fan-debate-in-the-making silenced when Raven spoke up.

"Was her name Rachel?"

"Y-Yeah! Rachel! Rachel had magic powers, too. She was cooler than Harry Potter, and...maybe even Jasmine. By a little. Not much. Just a little. And she was different, too. People said mean things about her just because she was different. But she still protected them from bad guys. This confused Jasmine, and it made her wonder...if she was a bad guy. She...she wanted to be friends with Rachel, but she was scared. Rachel would probably think she was a bad guy. But..."

Jinx frowned as she glanced at the clock.

"Looks like story hour's up." she said, meeting with a wave of dissappointment, "But hey, if you wish real hard and give me plenty of good reviews, maybe Jasmine and Rachel will be friends!"

She couldn't help but smile a little. As the children scattered about Raven's legs as she stood up, they were chatting about her story. They hoped Jasmine and Rachel could be friends and everything would be alright in the end. And she thought she heard a boy say something about Rachel hooking up with Beast Boy.

Like that was going to happen.

Jinx felt a tug on her skirt.

"Jasmine and Rachel will be friends, right?" said the pale girl who had sat in the back.

Jinx kneeled down and whispered something in her ear. The girl, satisfied with the answer, ran off giggling.

"She's smiling."

"Hmm?"

Raven pointed to the pale girl, who was now talking to some other children.

"She always sits by herself, staying quiet as a church mouse the whole time. I think your story inspired her, Jinx. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Ah, sure you did!" Jinx grinned, "That's why you arranged for me to do this, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Raven said in her usual monotone drone, "It's just luck that you're here and not in jail."

"Mm hmm. Luck."

Slowly, slightly, a smile curved up Raven's lips.

"What did you tell that girl?"

"Just the answer to her question."

"And that would be...?"

Jinx chuckled as she casually walked over to her guards.

"You're just gonna have to come back next time."

* * *

author's notes: ...Huh. Just one big ol' _Pitch and Pink_ reference, ain't it? And, oh yeah! Anyone catch that ever-so-subtle plea for praise? Look real hard...

...Yeah, okay, the obligationary camping epi- uh, chapter ain't gettin' done never, is it? But that's a double negative, so that means it is getting done...forever...nevermind. But I do have an exclusive chapter of CCP over at my site, Words of a Madman! I would put in a link here, but as I've said before, is a screwy whore, so you're have to check my profile. It was super short and monsterously dialogue-heavy, so why not just post it there at WOAM and say it's exclusive instead of...y'know, putting more effort into it?

Mark your calanders for December 15th. Just saying...


	5. Working Girl

Working Girl

As she impatiently played with her nametag, she swore could hear "Happy Workers" playing from the depths of her subconscious. She bobbed her from side to side and quietly sung along with the voices in her head as she felt what she had once called a life fade away into oblivion.

She had _so_ sold out. Jinx, former criminal extradinare (sp?!), was working at...some fast food place in the mall that she never bothered to learn the name of. Her hair lay mundanely flat, she was dressed in an ugly uniform, and worst of all, there was no hiding this horrible truth. Her name was right there, pinned on her chest for the ignorant masses to gawk at.

And as minutes of her life ticked away, as she began to question the choice she made, she just kept on pressing buttons and handing over well-lubricated death-on-a-bun. Again and again. And she would try to smile a false, hollow smile, because that's what the job called for: A soulless meat puppet kind of friendly.

"Bells are ringing, we are singing..."

Jinx shook her head. No, she thought as she eyed the spork container. Today wasn't the day she shove one of those plastic utensils in her eye. Her shift was almost up. All she needed to do was leave her body and do her job.

"How may I be a tool today?"

And good timing, given who she was suddenly being a tool for.

"I'll have-"

Raven took a hard look at her. Her eyes drifted to her hair, to her clothes, to her nametag, and Jinx mentally screamed at each silent criticism she was making.

"You're..."

"Yes." Jinx droned, "I'm working at a burger joint. My soul is dying, but it's alright. The more I die inside, the less I feel."

"Well, you're looking at the positives, at least. I'll have-"

"Sheeva alive, girlie!" Jinx groaned, "How do you do it?!"

"You _did_ get employee orientation, right?"

"I mean, how do you be a superhero and not go broke! My accounts are nearly tapped out, I had to get this stupid job, I'm living in the crappiest little apartment _ever_, and...bills! Bills are everywhere! Even in my sleep, there are bills!"

She grabbed a hold of Raven from across the counter.

"And a certain Tori Amos song has been playing on a loop in my head for _days!_" she hissed as she shook her.

"The city...kind of pays for our expenses. I-"

"Back to work, Jinx!" a voice yelled from the back room, "Don't pay ya to make chat it up!"

Jinx groaned dramatically and started pushing random buttons on the register.

"I didn't order yet."

"Yeah, but it looks like I'm busy if I do this. So, here to mock me and laugh at my fall from grace?"

"You're an ex-criminal, Jinx. That's not really 'falling from grace'."

"Tsk! Says you! Back when I was a one of the bad guys, I was somebody! I had respect! I wasn't a dork at some burger flipping joint, playing the hero when Captain Combover lets me take a break! And I wasn't living off of minimum wage, I wasn't living in a crappy apartment-"

"Wait...who's 'Captain Combover'?"

"Captain Combover"- Jinx's pudgy, forty-something supervisor who, indeed, had a combover- strutted out from the back and straightened his glasses.

"Young lady," he nagged, waving a finger in Jinx's direction, "You are not getting paid to make girl talk with your weirdo friends! Take her order and quit holding up the line!"

Raven looked behind her, greeting by the sight of absolutely no one.

"Yes, sir." Jinx said through clenched teeth, "So, ma'am..."

Jinx looked over her shoulder to make sure her boss was gone.

"Whatcha doing _here?_ I can accept everyone dies eventually, but you'll die a lot sooner eating anything from here."

"I'm picking up dinner because we've all forgotten how to use the stove. And it just so happens I wanted to find you."

From seemingly out of Hammerspace, Raven pulled out some papers.

"I thought you would want to make your heroinism official."

"Paperwork?" Jinx groaned, "What sort of hero does paperwork?"

"The sort that wants city funding. Welcome to your career as a crime fighter. When you get off work-"

Jinx glanced at the clock.

"SHIFT'S OVER!"

Jinx vaulted over the counter...

Only to knock against the rather low ceiling and end up landing square on her butt.

"Gawh!" she cried as she painfully hobbled back up, "Nothing is frickin' going right! So, those papers?"

"Here. You-"

Jinx dragged her along to the nearest empty table.

"Ooooh, no!" said Jinx, "I did enough paperwork back in the H.I.V.E. One of the reasons I signed up for the whole hero thing is because I thought I wouldn't have any more homework."

"You just need to read through everything and sign on the line that says 'applicant'."

"Uh huh." Jinx said, scanning over the forms, "Hey, you got a pen or something?"

Raven handed her a pen.

"Okay...not gonna ask where you were keeping that. So, just gotta sign a few forms and the city will pay for everything?"

"Within reason, yes."

Jinx grumbled something under her breath. If Raven heard right, she was mockingly repeating what she just said.

"Okay...better than- fees for collateral damage?!"

"What?" said Raven, "Heroes don't go around, blowing everything up."

"Uh, hello? When's the last time you guys _didn't_ blow something to kingdom come?"

"We _do_ pay-"

"You're always ripping stuff out of the ground and throwing it around!"

"Yes, but-"

"Last time we fought, you were tossing around cars like cheap plastic beads on Mardi Gra!"

"_Yes_, but-"

"And remember that time-"

"_Alright!_" Raven snapped, "We aren't very good at our jobs! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

"I was just saying..." Jinx said with a devious grin, turning her attention back to her paperwork, "So, how'd you getting started with this?"

"Hm? Well...I guess...it just sort of happened."

"Just...happened?"

"Yes."

Begrudgingly, Jinx went pack to reading.

"Background check?!" she spoke up, "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"I'm sure Kid Flash can-"

"Ooooh, no!" Jinx said as she shot up, "His name shall not be mentioned in my presence!"

"Who, Kid-"

"Yes, _him!_ And where has he been, you ask?"

"I didn't-"

"After the Brotherhood was over, he up and left me! He said I'd be fine on my own, and he had his own city to defend, and are you paying attention?!"

Raven perked up.

"Yeah, sure. Don't worry about the background check. Robin knows someone-"

"You aren't paying attention!" Jinx said, pointing an accusing finger at her, "I don't have anyone to put in a good word for me because I don't have _anyone!_ I'm not on a team, duh, and it's not like I..."

Jinx slumped in her seat, her tone taking a decidedly less passionate turn.

"Have any friends..."

And then everything crashed into a brick wall. First time in two weeks she had any real human interaction outside taking orders from Captain Combover or the masses that were always quick to remind her her of better times when they recognized her, always pointing at her with their chubby digits and with mocking laughter, reminding her of her newfound place as a register monkey...and it all slammed into silent stillness as Raven, too, came to know just how big a loser she had become.

And there she went again, silently judging her with her eyes.

"I didn't really have any friends back at the academy." she sulked, "All I had were my former teammates. But whatever. It's not like anyone ever took things seriously."

"And you did?" asked Raven.

"I didn't have a stick up my butt about it, but yeah. The whole reason I was there was because I wanted to do whatever I wanted. My whole life, I was never given any choices. I was born with a royal screw job from destiny."

She had to do a double take when she looked up at Raven. Her hood was down now, and she was looking at her with those amethyst eyes.

"What would you do...if you didn't have any powers?"

"Huh?"

Those big, shiny, amethyst eyes of hers.

"Just...let's say you didn't have any powers. What would want to do with your life?"

"Well...I kinda like art. And fashion. I...kinda want to design clothes. Maybe start my own comic."

For the first time in a short eternity, she wanted to bear her Chesire cat grin again.

"And tell me, little girl, what do _you_ wanna do when you grow up?"

Raven seemed a little fluttered at the perfectly harmless "little girl" remark.

And then Jinx realized it.

"Hey..." she grinned, "You're kinda short, you know that?"

Judging by the way she was blushing and squirming in her seat...yes.

"Oh, don't be like that! It's not like you can tell most of the time. You float around a lot. Floating makes you look taller."

She just had to smile at this. Her old nemesis was all huddled up in her cloak, like she could hide from her shortness.

"Hey, I'm not that tall myself. The heels on my boots are, like, six inches. I'm kinda short myself. So c'mon, quit your sulking."

"I'm not sulking." Raven said, poking out from the confines of her pseduo-security blanket.

"Yes, you are! When you're around a person long enough, you get to know them. So, c'mon. If you weren't super, what would you do?"

"I...don't really know."

"RAVEN!" Jinx moaned, looking at her with pleading eyes, "You don't have a origin story, you don't know what you'd do without powers! And I'm just taking a wild guess here, but I doubt your wardrobe have expanded any from when we took over the Tower."

Triumphantly, she signed the last of those stupid documents, taking the time to draw a little skull and crossbones over the I as she savored her victory.

"Done!" she said as she stood, the smile of winners on her lips.

"Wait..." said Raven, "You were in my room?"

"Uh huh. And you seriously need something new to wear."

"Hold on. You were in my room?"

"Yeah. Now c'mon."

Jinx grabbed Raven and pulled her off in some seemingly random direction.

"We're hitting Hot Topic. You need some new clothes."

"Wait!" Raven said as she tried in vain to break free from Jinx's grasp, "What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"Uh, try _everything! _Cloaks and leotards are fine if you're roleplaying and doing gymnastics, but let's find you some _real_ clothes, shall we? Maybe something that'll make you look more mature."

Suddenly, Raven seemed a little less resistant.

"I guess I could use something new..."

"That a girl! You really should break away from midnight blue once in a while. How you feel about pink?"

* * *

author's notes: HAPPY EVERY HOLIDAY IN DECEMBER DAY! Since I didn't think to plan ahead for this holiday I totally made up...here ya go, folks! I finally finished a new CCP story! And in case you're one of three people who cares about this, yes, I'm _still_ working on a second chapter for Masturbation. Scars of Ryoko over at on the other hand...that's just a lost cause, isn't it?

And speaking of lost causes, my site- Words of a Madman- is donating 50 of all donations to child-related charities for the entire month of December! I'm also going to be handing out some yummy yuri pics. 'tis the season for lesbian boobies!


	6. Smile!

**Smile!**

...She had to do this. She felt a stain on her soul, and it was getting deeper and deeper, but she had to do this.

She swallowed hard...

If Beast Boy had gotten a job, she had to, as well. She was nigh-infinitely more mature than him. The little cretin not only got a normal job before her, but he gave her a sobering reminder that she was leeching off the Titans funds when she bought her books. And no...oh goodness, no. She was not going to let Beast Boy appear to be a responsible member of society while she quietly holed herself up in her room, suckling deeply from the taxpayers' collective teat. Oh, no. She could make her own path in the world.

"Hello, trainee."

She would make her own...wait...

That voice. The cold feeling of impeding doom washed over her. But there's no way...

"I'll be your supervisor."

She made her own path in the world, and that path somehow lead to Jinx.

"This is a trap, isn't it?" Raven droned, "Bars will slam down on the doors, the lights will turn off, and the merchandise will suddenly spring to unholy life."

Sales Representative Jinx, sporting an ear-to-ear grin, just gave a short shake of the head.

"Trainee." she said with obvious satisfaction, "And what's that nametag say? Trainee, could please tell me what your nametag says?"

"You can read, can't you?"

"Ah ah ah!" Jinx said, waving her finger in that disciplinary sort of way authority figures always seemed to be doing, "That not a very good attitude, Trainee! Or should I say..."

She lean down, getting a good look at that nametag that Raven had the misfortune of being pinned to her uniform.

"Raven." she said with a hint of twisted pleasure in her tone, "Say it with me, now! R-A-V-E-N. Mmm. That's a nice name. I think I'll say it again! Raven...Trainee Raven..."

"I somehow get the feeling you enjoy the idea of me working under you."

"The little victories are the ones to savor...Trainee Raven..."

"So...Jinx..."

"Miss Jinx!" she corrected.

"'Miss' Jinx...why, exactly, are you here?"

Jinx shot up straight, her gleeful grin replaced with a bitter little frown.

"I was driven to this because of you."

"Goodness." said Raven, actually making an effort in mustering together some sarcastic sympathy, "I drove you a legitimate career? Well, I do believe I shall never know a good night's sleep now."

"Yeah, funny. Because you guys have been screwing up our operations, us higher ups have had to get real jobs! _Real frickin' jobs!_ And the lower ranking agents are getting away with murder! Tell me, have you guys run into Plutonia yet?"

"I have no idea who that is."

"Glowing nerd? Kinda nasally voice? Probably taking puffs from an inhaler as she runs away?"

Raven shook her head.

"Yeah. Thought so. You spend so much time focused on _my_ team, the amateurs slip through the cracks! And lemme tell you, these guys _suck!_ Plutonia has, y'know, typical nerd health problems, Camille Eon- and you can guess what her power is from the terrible pun- is Encyclopedia Otaku-ica, but she can't remember simple blueprints! And Venom Miss...oh...oh God...don't get me started on her..."

As Jinx went on tirades about villainesses Raven had never heard before, she had to wonder if this was that silly/stupid thing most girls called "gossip". She wasn't one to gossip, of course. It was completely beneath her.

Although...just maybe...she found it the tiniest bit amusing to listen to Jinx ramble and rant like this...

"And for a short time, she carried a whip. And she never used it! Not once!"

But still, she was here to do a job, not gossip with someone who was supposed to be the enemy.

"Um, Jinx?"

"And seriously, 'Venom Miss'? She doesn't even use poison, or snakes, or whatever!"

"Jinx?"

"Do you see the theme, here?"

_"Jinx?"_

"And that yuppie's doing better than me! And it's _your_ fault! You think I enjoy working at some second-rate clothing store in the mall?!"

"I dunno," Raven shrugged, "Maybe?"

"That would be a negative, _Trainee!_ The clothing store I wanted to work at wasn't hiring pale, pink-haired freak girls, so here I am, in my own little slice of Purgatory!"

Her eyes narrowed, and that distinctive grin crept back up her lips.

"And you're here with me. Oh, what fun we will have."

She turned around, tapping her chin as she looked back and forth between children's clothing and...

"Lingerie."

A sharp finger shot off in the direction of the lingerie department.

"I believe you would be of most use in Lingerie."

From where she stood, Raven could tell she wasn't going to like this. Mannequin torsos adorned with lacey undergarments...terribly un-modest this and that poking out from the racks, lined with frills and fur...

"I could take the children's-"

"It would be amusing to watch the kiddies harass you endlessly and try to sneak peeks up your skirt, but I work Lingerie, so you're coming with me. When _your_ life gets messed up, then _you_ can choose, okay?"

And so, Jinx dragged her off to the department store's black lace-lined haven of sin.

"I know this is going to be hard," said Jinx, "But you're going to have to smile."

And further still did Raven sink into misery and woe.

"This might come as a shock, but I'm not much a 'smiling' person."

"Well, you are now. Part of succeeding in business is killing your soul! Besides, haven't you ever heard that when you smile, the world smiles with you?"

"And when you cry, you cry alone."

Jinx shook her head and crossed her arms.

"This is going to be difficult, isn't it?"

"You have no idea."

"Look, I don't know what miracle makes you get along with other people enough to form a functioning team, but-"

Something behind Raven caught Jinx's eye.

"Heads up, Smiley. Blonde on your six."

With a sharp breath, she turned around to see just how perfectly the stars of misfortune had aligned.

"OH. MY. _GGGAAAWWWDDD!_"

Jinx's smile paled in comparison to Kitten's, who was standing there in front of her, rendered near-speechless as she pointed at Raven's nametag.

"You have _gotta_ be kidding!" she shrilled, "Aren't you, like, a superhero or something?!"

"Heroine." Raven corrected, "And some of us try to earn our keep instead of living a parasitic existence."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Kitten said dismissively.

"You know her?" whispered Jinx.

"She's Killer Moth's daughter."

"What?! But she's-"

"It's a suit!" said Kitten, "It's just a stupid suit my dad made because he's a weirdo! I don't have wings, or eat sweaters, or sleep in a cocoon! He's _just_ a guy in a stupid weirdo suit, okay?! And thank you, Daddy, for being 'the moth villain guy'! I just love being the daughter of 'the moth villain guy'!"

"So," Jinx said after an awkward pause, "How can we help you today?"

"I'm looking for some lingerie. I want something sexy, but comfortable and doesn't show too much. Y'know, leaves something to the imagination?"

Raven did a quick look over of what Kitten was currently wearing and made a mental list of the many things she could say.

"Nothing all, y'know, dark and emo. I'm sure you two are gonna pick out something with spiderwebs or some junk, so...y'know, don't."

"Don't worry, ma'am!" Jinx smiled, "We'll use our witchcraft to pick out something pretty for you! Raven, would you show this beautiful young lady some of our less Adams Family-esque evening wear?"

Raven was just about to sigh and resign herself to fate, but then she, ever-so-slightly, she smiled.

"But I'm not very knowledgeable with the lingerie department. You, on the other hand, are. Maybe I-"

"Fine." Jinx grumbled, while still retaining a fake smile, "We'll both help her."

The girls scanned the racks, looking for something they wouldn't be caught dead in.

"Are you sure you need help?" Raven said in mid-search, "I mean, the clothes are right here, little more than a foot away from you..."

"Excuse me?" said Kitten, offense in her tone, "I know you two don't any fashion sense, but you _do_ have jobs to do."

For some reason, Jinx's Cheshire Cat smile dropped. Her eyes narrowed and she reached deep into the back.

"I guess could get someone else to help me, if you two _really_ don't-"

"Found it!" exclaimed Jinx, holding out the most age inappropriate thing Raven had ever seen in her short life.

"W-What is that?"

And judging by the look on Kitten's face, hers too.

"You like it?" Jinx said as her grin returned.

"Wha...there's no...and the...it..."

"Yeah, I know, right? We have a hard time keeping this little number on the racks! But you did say you wanted something that wasn't too revealing and this...well, maybe it's a little too...y'know, adult..."

" I never want to grow up." muttered Raven.

"Hey, no!" Kitten blushed, "That...wow, that's...I'm no little kid! I'm almost ready to get my driver's license! Gimme that!"

Kitten snatched what precious little there was to snatch from Jinx's hand and made a beeline to the nearest changing room.

"Can we legally sell..._that_...to a minor?"

"I dunno." said Jinx as she took out her cellphone, "Say, Raven? Did you know cellphones have cameras in them?"

"No."

Jinx then reached under the door of the changing room Kitten was in- with cellphone in hand- and pulled it back out a second later.

When a giggle escaped her covered mouth, Raven had an idea what Jinx just did.

"You didn't..."

"Did."

"I _know_ what you just did is illegal." Raven said, shaking her head.

"Look at that girl and tell me this isn't karma. Now check this out! She has Pooh on her panties!"

"I'll pass, thank you."

"No! Winnie the Pooh! You gotta see this!"

Against her better judgement, Raven looked.

And ever-so-slightly, she smiled.

"Saw that!"

Only to loose it a brief moment later.

"Yeah, better watch yourself, Ravie. You might just start tolerating me and get some fashion sense."

"Not bloody likely." Raven droned, "And what's wrong with what I wear?"

Before Jinx could answer, Kitten came back out, her face a lovely shade of shade.

"Y'know..." she said, not making eye contact with either girl, "I think I want something I little more...modest."

"Something modest..." Jinx said as she pretended to be deep in thought, "Well, gosh, that reminds me, don't we have some Winnie the Pooh PJs that looked about her size, Raven?"

"Uh, that's a little too kiddy, thanks. And what's she smiling about?

* * *

author's notes: Hey, didn't I say I was gonna do a camping story? Oh well. Life's full of disappointment and soul crushing compromises.

So...hey, check it! I finally finished a CCP chapter! Like, yay and stuff! Expect another chapter sometime inbetween the fall of Western civilization and the sun burning out!


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